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7 Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Indian Destination Wedding

Planning a destination wedding can either be an exciting adventure or a torturous few months. Right from booking a resort that has no experience whatsoever when it comes to hosting South Asian weddings to not keeping guests in loop with their bookings, there are several things that could go wrong while planning your destination wedding. Planning a wedding from thousands of miles away is no easy task. But if you avoid the following pitfalls, you and your beau can make your dream destination wedding a memory to cherish for yourselves as well as for your guests.

Keep the below mentioned tips in mind while planning your destination wedding and the preparation process will appear like a cakewalk!

Mistake #1 – Not having the backup plan

Couples love to have their wedding ceremony on the beach with beautiful backdrop of ocean but weather at most beach destinations is not so predictable. Make sure to talk to resort about the backup plan if mother nature is not accommodating for that day. Resorts do have ballrooms, talk to your wedding coordinator if it's available for the ceremony day.

There are several resorts spread all across Mexico and the Caribbean that host destination weddings. However, here’s what your first enquiry won’t reveal – most of these resorts have no experience with hosting Indian destination weddings. If you want to get married in Mexico or the Caribbean, you should book a resort that has experience hosting destination weddings for Indian couples. Hard Rock hotels, Moon Palace as well as AM Resorts are therefore the perfect choice. AM Resorts, for instance, has specially crafted the shaadi and dulha-dulhan package for Indian couples. You can read more about it here.

Mistake #3 – Not packing according to your itinerary

Since it’s a destination wedding, you’re bound to carry more than just the dresses required for your wedding events. From curling irons to hairsprays, it’s smart to carry your beauty essentials with you even if your make-up artist will be bringing these things along. Also, if you’re hosting activities for your guests, you’ll need to carry appropriate outfits for that too. While you’re at it, make sure to pack more of artificial jewelry so you aren’t on the edge all the time about losing something valuable.

Mistake #4 – Not providing enough information to guests

Your destination wedding is a mini vacation for your guests. Therefore, you need to provide as much information as you can so they can decide if they want to stay longer than your wedding weekend. If you don’t provide all the required information on your wedding website or on your invitation, it is likely that your guests will bombard you with questions, especially if they are not well-traveled. If you’re not willing to answer questions on your own, you can always appoint a point of contact who will handle all the queries of your guests. Try to be very detailed with aspects such as transportation options from the airport, currency rate, things to do, tipping practices, local tourist traps etc. so your guests stress less and can travel in peace.

Mistake #5 – Not keeping guests in the loop

If you’re handling mass bookings for all your guests, you need to keep them in the loop when it comes to the deposits they’ve made, their resort and flight bookings, type of accommodation and what it includes as well as other logistics. If you book through IndianWeddingSite, you’ll be at an advantage as we create a dedicated page for your wedding to keep your entire wedding party informed and updated. Guests can make their deposits electronically through a secure page with confirmation messages so they are at peace with regards to money matters. If you are planning your destination wedding contact us to discuss more.

Mistake #6 – Getting caught unaware by unexpected costs

Several resorts work with a ‘preferred vendors’ list. What this means is that these resorts have their own photographers, videographers, wedding planners, decorators, caterers and so on and so forth. If you have your heart set on a particular vendor, you will have to be prepared to pay an extra $250-$400 to have your choice of vendor on board. However, if you’re hosting your wedding at AM Resorts, the fee is waived if your vendor stays at the resort for a minimum of 2 days. You also need to look into how much your resort charges per hour if your wedding event goes on longer than a certain time.

Mistake #7 – Not knowing how to deal with people who can’t handle their alcohol

There is always that one uncle or cousin who can’t handle their alcohol. If they find themselves at a wedding or at any party for that matter, they tend to paint the town red after having one too many. This is especially a problem at all-inclusive resorts as they have provisions for unlimited alcohol. What’s more? These resorts even have the rooms of your guests stocked with alcohol! While that is majorly a good thing, it is a problem in case of that one uncle or cousin. You may need to talk to the staff at the resort to take out liquor from the room of that specific guest and have someone accompany them throughout the trip so they don’t create a nuisance.

Since you’ll be planning a destination wedding for the first time, there is much more room for mistakes as compared to planning a local wedding. However, if you avoid making the above-mentioned 7 mistakes, you’ll have an unforgettable weekend just like you imagined!

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If you’re all set to get hitched at an exotic location, read this article to avoid potential pitfalls so your dream wedding doesn’t turn into a disaster!